Livermore man allegedly hurls Chihuahua from motel, faces SWAT team

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A Livermore man who allegedly hurled a Chihuahua from a motel balcony and then pointed a gun at a guest who confronted him was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of animal cruelty, police said.

Michael Hamby, 39, was spotted by a fellow guest at the Motel 6 on Lassen Road throwing a Chihuahua from a second-floor balcony, said Livermore police Sgt. John Hurd. The dog landed on the ground below.

The guest began arguing with Hamby over why he had thrown the dog, Hurd said. The spat grew so heated that a motel clerk intervened and separated the two, telling them to go to their respective rooms, police said.

A short time later, the guest heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, “Hamby was standing at the door and pointed a gun at him,” Hurd said.

Hamby then fled, police said. Officers arrived and recognized the suspect as someone they had arrested April 27 on suspicion of assault, child endangerment and possession of an illegal firearm, Hurd said. Because of his history, police decided to call in the East Bay Tactical Team, the combined SWAT team of the Livermore and Pleasanton police.

Police evacuated the motel and surrounding businesses before bursting into Hamby’s motel room, which was empty. But he was found nearby and taken into custody at 7:20 a.m. and booked on suspicion of felony animal cruelty.

The Chihuahua was uninjured, Hurd said. The gun Hamby used hasn’t been found, police said.

The motel guest didn’t want to help in any prosecution of Hamby, Hurd said.